Chaotiklown,

As much as I enjoy the self-destructive behaivor of others, I have to say (based just on what you've said so far) that I don't see this trip ending well. Living off the land sounds wonderful and easy, but it isn't. Learning the skills to do this takes a lot of time and effort. Very few people in the history of mankind were able to go alone into the wilderness and come out the other side months later. Those that did were not bound by the laws and regulation you will have to work under and they definately weren't novices.

Have you spent a day in the woods eating/drinking just what you find? A week? Please try that before heading off on your adventure. I don't want ETS blamed for encouraging your death.

-Blast

p.s. You may have taught wilderness survival in the military for 20 years and if so, I'll shut up. I just haven't seen proof of the knowledge you'll need.

Yes, we want you to pop up on this board at the end of your trip and tell us how it went, and what adventures you had, all the crazy/interesting people you met, and what you should have taken that you didn't, and what you took that you shouldn't have bothered with.

Sue

Alright, so everyone has asked me many questions on my intentions, what information I've gathered so far, my plotted equipment, skills, practice and practice thus far: Here goes, I hope this gives you all a better picture of what I'm doing....

Allow me to begin with my intentions- This trip ties very closely into my spiritual views, political standpoints, and eventual aims in life. I won't go into a ton of details at this point, but I see many problems in the world. I see that if they keep moving along at the rate they are, things will end up very badly for all of mankind, not must my own family, kids, and community(No, I have no kids at this time). So basically, you could say that my ultimate goal is to make a change, enough of a shift to divert things from the path they're on right now.... I will not come to terms with any "apocalypse", or otherwise hopeless end. I look at my lifespan, and realize that I have a limited amount of time to make this difference. Being how I am only 22, have no kids, no wife/girlfriend, I believe myself in prime position to take on this task before it's too late. I realize that as people get older they get wiser, but more set in their ways- "Revolutions are meant for the young". I realize what an enormous task this is, but if I don't take it upon myself, who will?

So up until now, my goals have been to make change in the conventional way... Education+Money = Power+voice.... But I have had to come to terms with a few problems within myself that prevent this- Bad habits(smoking, bad procrastination, and others) I've had close to 25 jobs now, spanning all different fields, from food service to telemarketing, door-door sales to website design, landscaping to factory work. However, due to unforeseen chaos and my own habits, none of them have worked out as I'd have liked them to........ I dropped out of high school initially, but later developed the need for school, and have been to technical college for several semesters. I have no problems gripping concepts, and completing the work-However, I find that my habits make it near impossible to conform to the system of school that is set up. Somewhat recently I've come to this realization, and know that I may have to take another route to my objectives in life-

I am currently in the military, only about a year in the ARNG. I work as a logistics specialist for the motorpool. The training that I've recieved from my military service(other than knowledge of several tools I'll be taking, such as an E-tool), include map/compass navigation, on-the-go hygiene, and long road marches(full armor, carrying 50-80 lbs of equipment), the longest being a twelve-mile stretch. Other than that, I've picked up a good bit of other random tactical information that may well come in handy.

I was born in Jersey, moved to SC when i was 2 and a half, spent about 4 years total in Arizona.

I grew up pretty much alone, back in the sticks with little to do but enjoy the outdoors- I've done a good bit of camping, usually anywhere from 1-3 days worth of a trip.

I was in scouts all the way from the beginning of Cub Scouts, made it up to about 2 years in Boy Scouts.

I have a knack for business, especially with the internet- have done a good bit of work on e-bay, and I believe business to be my strongest point right now.

So now, what I hope to accomplish by this trip------

My habits are terrible, as I've said. I have a few problems that have prevented me from keeping jobs in the past, due to things like anxiety attacks, but am pretty sure it comes from a deep root that flipping burgers gets me no closer to my goals than when I started, so I get frustrated. Unfortunately I smoke cigarettes, have wanted to quit for a long time now- Even basic training wasn't enough, didn't even make it out of the Oklahoma airport before I had a cigarette offered to me, and lit it up. Had no issues of withdrawals throughout my 12-13 weeks of training, but I think my mistake was not mentally preparing myself for that first chance of lighting up..... So anyway, I believe that a good month or two in the woods is long enough for me to reset my habits. I've heard that it takes 14 days to break old habits, 16 days to make new ones, and it makes sense to me- Now that might actually be a load of horse-shnap, but don't tell me different. It has the best chance of working if I believe it will.

I do not know exactly WHAT it is yet that I'm to do in order to achieve this change I want to make. However, I know that if I stay in the situation I'm in, working for awhile to afford going to school a semester here and there, I'll get nothing done. I don't want to be 35 and finally in a position to make a move, but too set in my ways to take my chances. And who knows, I might even end up with a child or a wife by then, which won't help matters either. By heading into the woods for awhile, I start at basic survival and work my way up- After that, I plan to travel to different parts of the country where there are people that I've met throughout life, and always thought that I wanted to talk with them again before my time on this world ends. I figure that's a good place to start, and somewhere along the way I will figure out exactly what it is that I'm to do. My happiness and personal outcome is of no importance to me- My life is insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and my mind will not rest until I feel that I've done my best.

I will be starting out near Anderson South Carolina, headed Northwest in the direction of O'Fallon Illinois to begin with. The stretch of woods I'll be looking at is around 60 miles, but I'll be taking my time- Remember, I'm hoping to "reset" myself, and build up new habits by the time I get out- So I have no issues with setting up camp for a day or two in order to figure out my surroundings. I'm not doing this with the objective of covering ground quick as possible, but to get the most experience out of my trip as possible. There are also a few other expanses of forest that I'll be going through on the way to Illinois, but I'd imagine the first leg of the trip will be the most important test of all. Throughout, I will be carrying proper ID and have a home mailing address in case I was stopped by anyone of authority.

My equipment-----------------------------------

Shelter- A one-man tent, an army-issue blow-up mat, and a poncho for rain protection.

Self Defense, Tools--------------------------------------

A high-quality Smith & Wesson survival knife(fixed blade), complete with sheath and sharpener. I also have 2 other knives, another cheap fixed-blade, and a Turkish-made bayonet, with a wire-cutter combination between the blade and sheath. I also have a leatherman for miscellaneous uses. I will be carrying a 4 ounce can of mace, for the purpose of bears and random people with bad intentions. I also just went and picked up a decent wrist-supported slingshot(due to a fantastic suggestion I got already on these forums!). I will have separate bags with a few lighters(Bic, no less!), and backup of flint/steel, and wax-coated matches.

FOOD-------------------------
I will not be taking much food- I plan on being in the woods a good while, and I realize that I won't be able to carry the amount of food that I'd need for the duration of my stay away from civilization. So I will be depending mainly on the methods of foraging, hunting, and the various forms of fishing that I'm researching through this site, and many others... I will have a pot to cook in.

WATER-------------------------------
There are lots and lots of streams throughout the mountains, and I'll have a map of the terrain overlay, and will have to judge how much water I'll have to carry to make it to the next source. As far as purification goes, I'm open to suggestions and still looking into it- but I think I'll primarily be boiling it. I'd rather not depend on being able to change filters, or re-up on purification tablets.....

TRAVEL---------------------
Primarily my tootsies:-) But if I come across someone willing to give me a ride, I may take it- However initially I will not, because the idea is to take my time and work on myself first.



So here it all is....... I may have missed a few things here, but if you guys have any suggestions, questions, concerns, or thoughts on this in general, please feel free to let me know- I'll be leaving in about 2-3 weeks. Thank you all for your help so far, and thank you in advance for any further help you may assist me with. And thanks for sticking with and reading such a long post, didn't mean to write a whole book:-)....(but maybe eventually?)

Dave